Need help picking out an amp.?

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Alpine77
Alpine77 Posts: 8
edited May 2010 in Car Subwoofer Talk
Okay, so I have 2 12" Alpine Type R's (500w rms and 1500w peak) I have 1 Alpine 500w amp on each sub at the moment. I am looking for an affordable high powered amp to switch over too. I would like to buy 1 amp and hook both subs up to just the one amp. I have been looking for a new amp and have had some trouble trying to find one that will power them both really well. And another question they are dual voice coil subwoofers. With a new amp how would i want to hook them up? Thank you for all of your help.
Post edited by Alpine77 on
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  • g-man
    g-man Posts: 46
    edited April 2010
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    dual 4 ohm's? if that's the case paralell them down to 1 Ohm and buy a decent mono amp clas D.

    What's your budget?
    Stereo:
    Speakers:Polk SDA-1A
    cd/dvd:Marantz DV6200(HDCD)
    Amp: DUAL Audiophile Concept. (1992)

    ICE:
    Alpine CDA9887R
    Audison LRX 1.1K
    Audison LRX 4.5
    Amega Q-Comp50
    Amega Q-Comp60
    Sub: Focal Utopia WX21 BE
    Sub:? maybe 3 MM840.
    Stinger HPI signal,power,speaker cables
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  • Alpine77
    Alpine77 Posts: 8
    edited April 2010
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    Yeah they are dual 4 ohm. How would i paralell them to 1 ohm? And as budget goes I would like to sell the amps that I have and put that money toward the new amp i want. I dont really know how much I can get for the amps I have. Still have over a year warranty and only used for 3 months.
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  • g-man
    g-man Posts: 46
    edited May 2010
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    Paralell both voicecoils on each sub(4/2=2 Ohm) and then paralell the two subs together
    (2/2=1 Ohm)

    I believe you have a couple of decent amps on the woofers now.
    Are you sure you've hooked them up right?

    I.e 8 Ohms insted of 2?
    You need to have both voicecoils connected in some way so with two 4 ohm coils you only have two options...8 or 2 ohms

    If the coils are in serial ( - to + and + to -) you'll get 8 ohms.In paralell (- to - and + to +) you'll get 2 ohms.

    Now you can serial or paralell connect the two woofers into 4 or 1 Ohm

    If your Alpines are rated 500W RMS@4 Ohms and are stable in 2 Ohms,these amps would and should be more than good enough for your woofers.

    In 2 Ohms the amps usually deliver twice the rated power than in 4 Ohms.

    What type of Alpine amps do you have? The MRP's or the PDX's ?

    None of the Alpine amps (MRP or PDX) are stable in 1 Ohm so if you want a monoamp that is,you need to take a look at these:

    Ground Zero GZHA 1.1800DX2 1x1800W RMS @ 1 ohm
    Ground Zero GZNA 1.2500DXII 1x2300W RMS @ 1 ohm
    CADENCE ZRS-8000.D 1x2250W

    Just to give you a few examples.
    Stereo:
    Speakers:Polk SDA-1A
    cd/dvd:Marantz DV6200(HDCD)
    Amp: DUAL Audiophile Concept. (1992)

    ICE:
    Alpine CDA9887R
    Audison LRX 1.1K
    Audison LRX 4.5
    Amega Q-Comp50
    Amega Q-Comp60
    Sub: Focal Utopia WX21 BE
    Sub:? maybe 3 MM840.
    Stinger HPI signal,power,speaker cables
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  • Installer4life
    Installer4life Posts: 256
    edited May 2010
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    I know some amps are designed to run into a 1 ohm load but they get hot and usually create a lot of distortion. I would go with the new Alpine PDX M12 amp its rated at 1200 watts into 4ohms which is a impedence you can wire your two type 12's into. That way you get the power you need from a very good ampifier. The amp will not take up much room, its very efficient, and it will run cool.
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  • Alpine77
    Alpine77 Posts: 8
    edited May 2010
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    I have the Alpine MRP 500w. So i should hook the subs up together? Right now I have them hooked up normal + on sub goes to + on amp and - on sub goes to - on amp. Would it be louder if i took 1 of the amps away, how would i run the wires from both subs to the 1 amp? I guess I never realized all the different ways to hook up the dual voice coils. And thanks for all the help.
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited May 2010
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    I have two Alpine Type R 12" subs and they run off an MRV-1507 amp and they pound hard. This amp is old school but if you can find one, you won't be disappointed. Mine are also 4 ohm dvc's. I have one on left channel one on right and the switch in L+R.
    SDA-1C (full mods)
    Carver TFM-55
    NAD 1130 Pre-amp
    Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
    The Clamp
    Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
    Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
    Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
    Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
    Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
    ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
    Ben's IC's
    Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
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  • Installer4life
    Installer4life Posts: 256
    edited May 2010
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    That MRV-1507 is a beast. Its a perfect amp for your application. As far as the two subs running on the MRP-M500 you would lose too much power. That amp is designed for a two ohm load and the best you can do with both subs is a 4 ohm load which would cut your power in half to 250 watts or so which is 125 watts per sub. Running one amp to each sub like it is now gives you 500 watts per sub.
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  • PerfectCreature
    PerfectCreature Posts: 1,456
    edited May 2010
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    Alpine are nice...
    I man...I have two sony subs with a kenwood amp and i am very impressed with what they do...
    Have you checked your cd player? I know that I had to turn my sensitivity up because my receiver didn't have a sub preamp it just had a regular preamp...
    Receiver
    Harman Kardon HK 3490
    Speakers
    Polk Audio Monitor 50s
    Subwoofer
    Klipsch KSW-100
    Cables
    AudioQuest Rocket 33s 10ft
    AudioQuest Optilink1 2m
    AudioQuest Alpha-Snake 25ft Interconnect
    AudioQuest HDMI-1 2m

    Alienware X51 R2
    PS4
    Samsung Smart TV 40" 1080p 3D
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  • g-man
    g-man Posts: 46
    edited May 2010
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    Alpine77 wrote: »
    I have the Alpine MRP 500w. So i should hook the subs up together? Right now I have them hooked up normal + on sub goes to + on amp and - on sub goes to - on amp. Would it be louder if i took 1 of the amps away, how would i run the wires from both subs to the 1 amp? I guess I never realized all the different ways to hook up the dual voice coils. And thanks for all the help.

    On your woofers you have four wire connections. + - and + -,if you run your speakerwires to just one pair of connections you'll only run one of the coils.
    You need to hook up the second coil aswell.(as seen on this picture http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/swr-1243d )

    Connect the wires from the amp to + and - on the left terminals of the woofer,and then connect the right terminals to the left terminals.+ on + and - on-.Now you have paralell connected the woofers and your amp will now have a 2 Ohm load.

    As i said earlier..I do believe you have more than enough power with one amp to one woofer..If they are connected correctly.

    Cheers.
    Stereo:
    Speakers:Polk SDA-1A
    cd/dvd:Marantz DV6200(HDCD)
    Amp: DUAL Audiophile Concept. (1992)

    ICE:
    Alpine CDA9887R
    Audison LRX 1.1K
    Audison LRX 4.5
    Amega Q-Comp50
    Amega Q-Comp60
    Sub: Focal Utopia WX21 BE
    Sub:? maybe 3 MM840.
    Stinger HPI signal,power,speaker cables
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